Improved garbage-box



UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

JAMES JOSEPH SLEVIN, OF NEW` YORK, N. Y. y

IMPROVED GARBAGE-BOX.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,920, dated June 26, 1866.

To all whom 'it may concern Beit known that I, JAMES JOSEPH SLEvTN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvenients in Garbage-Boxes for Cities 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a top view of one of my improved garbage-boxes. Fig. 2 represents a vertical transverse section of the same, following the linexxof Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 represents a horizontal section of a portion of the same, following the line cr x of Fig. 2.

Garbageboxes, as heretofore constructed, have been placed or erected upon the sidewalks of the streets, wl ere they are much in the way. Moreover, as the drainage from them is into the street-gutters, an offensive smell is continually exhaled by the liquid matter running from them.

The object'of my invention is to obviate both these defects; and my first improvement consists in constructing the garbage-box with a top of suitable form to constitute a footway, set on a level with the sidewalk of the street, and with a door or lid to 4permit the contents to be thrown out, so that the body of the garbagebox maybe beneath the level of the sidewalk, and that the top of the garbage-box and door form both a cover for the box and a part of the sidewalk. The garbage-box, therefore, does not obstruct the street.

My next improvement consists in constructing the box with two doors or lids, the one smaller than the other and fitted to an opening formed in the other. Hence the smaller door, which is used for llin g the garbage-box, can be situated near the center of its top, and the larger door, which is opened when the box is to be emptied, may extend over the greater part of the top, or the whole of it, so

as to afford free access to all parts of the box when the door is opened.

My next improvement consists in constructing one of the sides of the box in such man ner that it may form a part of the curb of the sidewalk, thus permitting the garbage-box to be set as closely as possible to the carriageway, where the cart stands into which the contents of the box are to be thrown when the box is to be emptied.

My next improvement consists in fitting the garbage-box with a drain-grating extending from a drain-hole at its bottom up to or near to its top, so that the drainage may take place from the upper surface of the contents, wherever that maybe. This improvement insures the drainage of the contents as fast as they are thrown into the box, because the liquid matter can escape from the surface without being compelled to percolate down through the contents before finding its Way to the drainopening.

All my improvements are combined together in the garbage-box represented in the accompanying drawings. rlhe body of this box A is formed, by preference, of cast-iron, and it is sunk into the ground until the upper surface of its top Bis level with the surface of the sidewalk, so that the top forms part of the sidewalk. The upper surface of the top B should be roughened by small projections, of diamond or other form, so as to afford a firm footing for pedestrians.

The top of the box has a large opening in it, which is closed by a hinged door or lid, O, whose upper surface is flush with theA remainder of the top, of which it forms a part. This door has a smaller opening formed in it, which is closed by a smaller hinged door, D, whose upper surface is also Hush with and forms part of the upper surface of the box.

The hinges of both doors are formed by pins which are secured to their lower sides and turn in boxes beneath the top of the garbage-box, so that they offer no obstruction to the feet of pedestrians.

The larger door is raised by applying the hands to its outer rim, where recesses e are formed to permit the fingers toenter. The smaller door is provided with. a ring-handle sunk in a recess, so that when turned down it is out of the way of the feet of pedestrians.

The doors are provided withv chains m and a, which connect them with the box, the chains being soshort that they limit the distance to which the doors can be opened, thus holding them in good positions to enable them to be readily closed. The smaller door, being within the larger door, is in a central position relatively to the interior of the box, so that the garbage thrown in may distribute itself more equably than if the filling-door were near one end of the box, While, atthe same time, the opening for the larger door may be larger than it could be if a portion of the top, outside the larger door, were occupied by the smaller door.

The upper part of one of the sides, E, of the box is constructed of the same form as the curbstone of the sidewalk, so that it forms part of that curb, thereby enabling the interior of the box to be set as close as possible to the carriage-way.

The bottom of the box is perforated with a drain-hole, F, which can be connected by a drain-pipe with lthe street-sewer, so that the foul liquid matter can drain directly into the sewer instead of running off into the streetgutter, as has heretofore been the case. The interior of the box is fitted with a grating, Gr, extending from its bottom nearly to its top, and provided with openings sufficiently fine toprevent coarse garbage from passing into and choking the drain-hole. This grating separates the drain-hole from the remainder of the interior, so that the foul liquid matter may pass freely to the drain-hole from the upper surface of the contents of the box, whatever position the surface may occupy as the box is progressively filled.

The grating has the forni of a gate hung` on hinges, so that it may be readily opened whenever the box is emptied of its contents, to remove any solid matter that may have passed through its openings, and may then be as readily replaced. When closed it is secured by a latch, h.

Having thus described a garbage-box em bodying all my improvements, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The garbage-box, with its top constructed so as to form a part of the sidewalk of the street, and with a door or lid in said top, so that the said top, with its door, covers the garbage-box, forms part of the sidewalk for pedestrians, and permits the contents to be readily thrown out, thus enabling the garbagebox to be sunk below the level of the sidewalk, as described.

2. The construction of the garbage-box with two horizontal doors to form parts of the sidewalk, the smaller within the larger, as described.

3. The garbage-box, with one of its sides constructed so as to form a part of the curb of the sidewalk, so that the box may be set as close as possible to the carriage-way, for convenience of throwing its contents into a cart.

4. The combination of the garbage-box with a drain-grating extending up to or near its top, so that the liquid matter may drain from the surface ofthe garbage, wherever that may be, as described.

5. The combination, in a garbage-box, of the following parts-viz., the body of the box, the top, constructed with a door to form part of the sidewalk of the street, and one side constructed to form part of the curb of the street, as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereto set my hand this 20th day of October, A. D. 1865.

JAMES J. SLEVIN.

Witnesses:

E. S. RENWICK, W. L. BENNEM. 

